CrossPoint - Vision Statement

The New Testament calls the redeemed of the Lord “children of God” (John 1:12, 11:52; Romans 8:16,21,9:8). His children are aliens and strangers in this land (1 Peter 2:11). We need a "home away from home". God is like an adoption agency which is particular about where His children are "placed" to nurture and grow. God is looking for healthy homes to put His children into and He is looking for healthy and wise parents to lead these homes. This is why God wants His church leaders to be great home leaders (1 Timothy 3:4,5) for the obvious reason that if anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? It is our desire to be a healthy home for His children, and we hope that He will place you and your family with us!

Jesus, when asked what the greatest commandment in the Law was, replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

Jesus said, "A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." We believe that the saints of God are to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. This means that we are to walk as Jesus walked and to love as He did. We look for the fruit of the Spirit in every Christians life that we may present everyone mature in Christ Jesus.

Jesus gave His followers this mission, "...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Jesus concentrated His ministry of disciple making in communities where people were receptive. God tells us in the book of Acts that the early believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.

We are a spiritual lighthouse to a world lost in a sea of sin. A main part of our ongoing ministry will be to focus on giving people spiritual direction on how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

We will be a spiritual hospital for the hurting and wounded within the body of Christ. There are many things Christians have substituted for Jesus Christ which have damaged them. A main part of our ongoing ministry will be helping Christians to heal.

We will be a spiritual fitness center for people to come and work out their salvation, and exercise their spiritual gifts. Christians often begin a relationship with Christ only to have years go by before they develop spiritually. We will be focused on discipling and developing believers.

We will be a spiritual launching pad for Christians to be launched into ministry. This world and the church needs qualified and trained ministers to be sent out to do ministry. We want to launch people into full-time, bi-vocational, and volunteer ministry opportunities.

We do Large Group Celebrations. We enjoy coming together and celebrating the goodness of the Lord. These are our weekend times of reflection upon God and His faithfulness to us. It is a time for us as a congregation to hear an exhorting word of instruction for the upcoming week. This is the most familiar part of a congregation, but although it is necessary to worship together as a group, it is isn't very effective in connecting church members.

We are a small group church, not a church with small groups. This means that we believe that every church member is to be connected to a small group. Many Christians have joined churches only to leave and say, "I never really made any friends there." What they are saying is that they really did not connect with anyone. Small Groups are our way of connecting you to this part of the Body of Christ, like a family group. This is where the meat of the word is taught. We use the word STEAK to help us remember what our small groups should always be composed of and to remind us that as Christians we should be desiring the meat of God's Word.

S - Supplication (Ongoing prayer ministry)
T - Truth (Imparting truth through the Bible, books, tapes, etc...)
E - Equipping ("...entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." 2 Timothy 2:2)
A - Accountability (Asking tough questions and correcting unChristlike behavior)
K - Kingdom (Seeing God's kingdom come to earth through service and missions)

Other groups such as support groups for people facing similar life challenges, ministry groups working together in areas such as praise/worship, drama, special events and more, all provide more opportunities for church members to really get to know each other and serve the Lord together. This would also include small groups of our children and our youth.

As we grow and multiply in numbers, we will have Ministry Centers which are to be placed throughout our community in strategic locations in order to be a local lighthouse for ministry. Their primary focus is ministry to a particular geographical location, providing a strategic connection between our home base (our church as a building) and our small groups which meet in our community. As people visit or connect to the church they will learn of the closest Ministry Center to their home which will in turn connect them with their neighbors. When you know which neighbors are also Christians, you can more effectively visit, evangelize, and care for your community.

Jesus is the Great Shepherd. He is the Head and we are the Body. He leads and guides all parts of the Body, of which we are a part along with other worldwide Christians.

We have a Pastor who is the spiritual, administrative, and teaching leader of our congregation. We believe God "gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Our pastor works with our elders in spiritually leading our church.

This group of men is the governing body which works closely with the pastor in spiritually directing our congregation. They have earned their positions by their spiritual maturity and example and their years of experience in life. This group balances out the leadership of the pastor, giving a fuller picture of the direction the church needs to be going.

Our deacons' primary role is to serve the physical needs in the Body. They are the ones who free up the pastor to focus on the teaching and equipping ministry of the church by meeting the physical needs of the members and leadership.

These leaders are pastored by the staff. We believe that church staff is to equip the church members for ministry, not to do it all for them. As a member you will have a Small Group Leader to oversee your spiritual health and to help you connect with other church members for encouragement and accountability.

During Jesus' day the fishermen used nets. Casting the net was a process of throwing the net out with the net fully extended. Drawing the net was pulling the net into the boat and closing it up to capture the fish. This is how we draw the net.

Newcomers will usually first attend a large group Celebration or come with a friend to a small group meeting, Inquirers Class / New Members Class / 101 Baptism / Sign Covenant / Join Body / Join Small Group / Exercise Spiritual Gift(s)

If a person does not decide to join us, they are welcomed to be a part of any of our seminars or basic Christianity courses as well as our weekend Celebration. However, we encourage all Christians to be under the watchcare of the pastoral ministry of a local congregation.

"Each Christian should select his church because he is convinced that within its particular structure
he will find the greatest opportunities for spiritual growth, the greatest satisfaction for his human needs,
and the greatest chance to be helpful in service to those around him."
Dr. Billy Graham